Hey Largo, Florida Keys — Some of the nation’s best collegiate swimmers are slated to vie for honors at an Orange Bowl Festival event in Key Largo. The Orange Bowl Swimming Classic is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Jacobs Aquatic Center, mile marker 99.6 oceanside in Key Largo.
The Classic is to be a sprint-style event — the culmination of a month long Orange Bowl training session for swimmers in the Keys. Fifteen collegiate teams are scheduled to train in Key Largo, including George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. — both already registered to compete in the Classic.
“The Upper Keys embraces this event. It is exciting to host the Orange Bowl Classic and to be associated with the Orange Bowl, one of South Florida’s premier events,” said the event chairman, who also serves on the board of directors of Upper Keys Community Pool Inc., also known as Jacobs Aquatic Center.
Other activities centered around the Classic include an evening welcome dinner set for Friday, Jan. 4, at Key Largo Community Park, adjacent to the pool. A post-contest awards luncheon is to commence at the Jacobs Aquatic Center immediately following the meet.
Admission is free to watch the competition.
An array of events surrounds the annual FedEx Orange Bowl national championship football game, scheduled Thursday, Jan. 3, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.
For information on Upper Keys accommodations, call the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce at (800) 822-1088 or (305) 451-1414, or visit www.fla-keys.com.
For information regarding the Orange Bowl swim classic, call (305) 453-7946. For information about other Orange Bowl events, visit the Orange Bowl Committee’s Web site at www.orangebowl.org.
